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Wellington Phoenix look to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches when they take on the struggling Western Sydney Wanderers at ANZ Stadium on Tuesday night in A-League Round 12 action.

On a six-game unbeaten streak following their fiery 0-0 stalemate with Adelaide in Round 11, can Wellington earn all three points against the Wanderers and open up a seven-point lead over seventh-placed Newcastle?

Phoenix have been the most improved team of the 2018/19 season under debut coach Mark Rudan, losing just three of their 11 games and taking a brilliant 3-1 scalp of Sydney FC - the game that kick-started their current six-game unbeaten stretch of form.

Rudan has transformed Phoenix into a dangerous attacking unit, but the Kiwi club couldn’t find the back of the net against a dogged Adelaide outfit on the weekend - and their frustration boiled over when Mandi was sent off for a kick on Vince Lia, with the defensive midfielder set to miss the club’s next three games through suspension.

Meanwhile, the Wanderers have still just won the two games all season, heading into this fixture on the back of a 2-1 loss to Melbourne Victory.

Western Sydney were in the game and could perhaps count themselves unlucky not to earn a share of the spoils, but inaccuracy in front of goal cost them, with Ola Toivonen netting an 86th minute winner.

With their last win coming on December 7 against the bottom-placed Mariners, the Wanderers desperately need all three points to keep pace with the finals, with the club currently seven points behind the sixth-placed Phoenix - making this game a huge one in the context of their season.

The Wanderers have a great recent record against Wellington, winning their last three encounters and scoring 11 goals during that period, including a 3-0 win back in November. However, this Phoenix side is playing much better football at the moment, while the Wanderers just can’t seem to gel. If Wellington recover well from the weekend, they should be able to claim all three points and continue their charge up the table.